While we worry about the economic fall-out of the pandemic and the nationwide lockdown, one factor that can't be overlooked is the impact this change is having on our mental health. To ease their minds, our first order of business was to ensure health insurance coverage for our employees for Covid treatment, which extends to their families as well. We have also put in place an HR policy to ensure paid Covid leave so that employees can recover safely. For mental wellbeing, we have offered free and confidential mental health screenings. As a close-knit team, we are also keeping in close contact with all our employees and conducting periodic wellness checks.
But we also had to deal with the fact that the work-from-home set-up meant that everyone was cooped up in their own homes, with no way to interact and engage with their colleagues, as they usually would. So Team Kinara had to find other ways to be together. With the relentless efforts of our HR Team, virtual hangouts, games and engagements have become a part of our routine.
We started with Virtual Coffee Meets with the Leaders, in which our management team had sit-down sessions with a group and talked about everything under the sun, from success to cybersecurity. The sessions were enlightening and interactive, and the slots filled up faster than we could offer them!
Another great success was Zoom classes by our colleagues. Xx started us off with a cooking lesson, which was very useful for the many emerging lockdown chefs who are whipping up everything from Dalgona coffee to gourmet delights. We also had a Yoga lesson, since fitness is a priority right now, and we can’t go outside to get exercise. We all came away a little more knowledgeable and much more at peace from these sessions.
Next we started virtual games, which was also a roaring success. People loved how interactive and fun these sessions were and appreciated being able to connect with colleagues in such an informal way, despite being separated by the pandemic. We’ll keep coming up with innovative ways to stay connected and lift our spirits for as long as the pandemic and the lockdown continue, and look forward to the enthusiastic participation of all members of Team Kinara!
